Destructive Paths
by SoraLover1994
Summary: Four years after the events in More Than A Hero, Kaji is finally rescued from Shinra's forces again... only to discover that Zack is missing. He joins up with old friend Satsuki and old rival Kazuki, who send him off in search of seeking Shinra Intel. Along the way, will Kaji discover more than just secrets behind Shinra Corporation? -ON HOLD-
1. Wake Up Call

**Well, I finally got around to at least STARTING the sequel to More Than A Hero after requests were made. ****0_0 **

**It has its perks in this decently long first chapter, it also has its flaws (The most prominent coming in good time). Though personally, I think I'm going to like developing a near thirteen year old Kaji in the long run.**

**This is all I can show you in terms of the start of this story, as the progress of the next chapter is very, VERY unprogressed since I'm working a bit more on my Shugo Chara fanfiction: String of Melodies, and I tend to write that out in arcs of about thirty pages each in a notebook.**

**Still, I hope you are at least satisfied with this start. ^_^**

* * *

_**Destructive…**_

_** Uncontrollable…**_

_** Unstoppable…**_

_** A monster…**_

_** That's what I am… That's what I'll always be. I found it hard to form words from the moment that I realized who I was, and who I was supposed to be.**_

_** My name is KAJI. It means fire. I'm one of Shinra's 'lap dogs', an experiment extracted with the DNA of Ifrit, a beast of eternal flame. But I wasn't always captive inside of Shinra. In fact, I remember once when I went free… For some time when I was about eight years old, I got to see beyond my prison within the science department…**_

_** I got to meet the man I call my father, only to be taken away from him and stuffed back into my experiment pod.**_

_** I've been here so long that I've lost track of time… I can barely remember anything that's happened to me, not even yesterday…**_

_** All I know is that I can taste freedom.**_

* * *

Amber eyes weakly opened, the only partition of his sight had been fixated on green—likely the Mako surrounding him. The lab was completely empty, which made him assume that the scientists had to attend to other matters. There had been word reaching him about another experiment taking place within the grounds of a place called Nibelheim that was being kept secret from a majority of the Corp… There had even been word of the Sephiroth project skyrocketing despite their most famous project suddenly vanishing into thin air. He slowly closed his eyes again.

**'I'm so drowsy…'**

_Clang!_

**'This Mako is making me nauseous…'**

_Clang!_

** '…What IS that…?'**

Kaji's eyes weakly opened again and he caught the faint sight of long brown hair. When he blinked a few times to clear his vision, he realized that the figure was a girl. She was standing just outside of the glass, staring at him with wide eyes. His own eyes went wide before he let out a growl—a natural reaction from his hybrid nature. He noticed her cock an eyebrow before taking a few steps back from the pod.

**'She's moving back… Is she afraid of me?'**

She pointed what Kaji could make out to be a gun at the Mako pod.

"Don't move," She mouthed. Before Kaji could even so much as let out a breath or even blink out of shock, she pulled the trigger and a silver bullet had pierced the glass, flying over his shoulder. He felt his body tumble onto the icy floor before hearing members of the science community race in.

Oh, how he feared them…

"It's a Turk!"

"No, it's a SPY!"

"Someone stop her!"

Before anyone else could retort, bullets were lodged in all directions and one by one, scientists fell to the ground. Blood stained the tiled floors, and stray bullets gently collided with the tiles.

He saw her kneel down to pick up one of the bullets, and she glanced back at him. A smile curved onto her face.

_"Welcome back."_

Then Kaji felt consciousness leave him.

* * *

The muffled voices rang through his ears like a bell… Well, at least spare the clarity here and there. He couldn't tell if there were two people in the room or three… maybe even more.

"…it… a tough job… bullets …About… Turks, are they…?"

"No trouble… yet anyways… know?"

Kaji groaned, opening his eyes. The white light burned intensely—he guessed it was the average price to pay for waking up from what felt like a hangover with no alcohol. Could there even BE a hangover without alcohol? Well, whatever, not important.

"I think your little guy friend over there's come to." The voice was clearer now, and Kaji was positive that this voice belonged to a young man, for it wasn't fully mature but still fairly deep.

"Kaji?" And he was certain that this was a female's voice—one that he could easily distinguish. He knew it. He sat up, and the moment his vision cleared, he saw a girl with long brunette locks cascading past her shoulders. Plain and simple, he saw…

"Satsuki…" Then he caught the slightly deeper pitch his voice had developed and his eyes widened. "Is that… MY voice?" _**{A/N: It starts around age thirteen, the voice maturing aspect... Kaji is just a fast bloomer too because of his power.}**_

"Long time no see." He immediately sat up. "H-Hey, hold on, don't-"

He locked her in an embrace. "I missed you so much…" She was stunned by his sudden impulse… but nonetheless began petting his hair as if he were a puppy.

"Likewise."

"So, I'm the only one feeling left out here?" Kaji released Satsuki, who then glanced back at the young man.

"What do you mean?"

Kaji got a closer aspect of him. He had black hair that stopped midway down his back tied into a ponytail and near-emotionless brown eyes. He didn't appear to be much older than he was, likely around Satsuki's age if not a year older than even her. Even his voice was more mature than Kaji's. But even despite the age difference, he didn't look to be too… pleasing.

"Forget it. Not like an immature punk would remember the guy who wants revenge on him."

Then it hit Kaji like lightning, and his eyes darkened. "…Kazuki?"

"About time you caught on… stupid." Kaji shot up and tackled him, trying to keep the older—and admittedly stronger—teenager pinned to the floor, to no avail.

"Kaji, hold on!" Satsuki exclaimed. Kaji's eyes went amber, and he was attempting to dig his nails into Kazuki's skin, as if he were even trying to force out bones. Kazuki forced the boy back before suddenly throwing a punch, striking him in the face so swiftly that it sent the younger flying back over the bed.

"You little punk…" Kaji heard Kazuki crack his knuckles. "You've got some kind of nerve trying to pick a fight with me."

"Kazuki, stop it!" Satsuki hissed.

"Who the hell do you think you ARE?"

"I'll KILL you!" Kaji roared.

"Kaji, that's enough!"

"Try me, dammit!" Kazuki growled.

"BOTH of you SHUT THE HELL UP!" Both boys immediately got quiet. "You're being so childish! Kazuki, you're supposed to be the oldest—set an example here! And Kaji, you're the youngest—shut up, listen, and quit being so damn impulsive! Got it? Are we all good?" _**{A/N: Another thing... 0.0 Satsuki developed a MASSIVE attitude in this time span.}**_

"Satsuki, hold on, why are you even working with this guy like this?! He's a spy for Wutai! Wutai is a part of this big war and-"

"You mean I WAS a Wutai spy. I resigned from their forces three years ago." Kaji froze.

That much time had gone by? Well, Satsuki and Kazuki did look a lot older since the last time that he had seen them... _**{A/N: Kazuki is fifteen years old here, and Satsuki just turned fourteen years old.} **_

"Kazuki and I are forming a squadron of our very own. Our goal is to take down Shinra's president, and then the vice president directly after. Eliminate them, and we can easily take down the Corp. itself. We've trained years for this day."

"But Shinra is no joke anyways. No offense to you guys, mainly to Satsuki-"

"WHAT?!" Kazuki hissed.

"-But all of Shinra's forces are like a pack of lions, and you're their lunch…"

"That's exactly why we took it upon ourselves to free you from your captivity. It makes me want to keel over just from thinking this at all, but…" Kazuki let out a sigh, crossing his arms. It was the first time Kaji had seen him this composed as he spoke to him. "We just… we knew that you would be the right guy to lend us a hand."

"Why me? I'm amazed that you didn't go to someone like Zack first… He's a much better candidate than I am…"

"…We couldn't ask Zack." Satsuki began.

"I do not understand…"

"You wouldn't…" Kazuki mumbled.

"Explain."

"You're just going to lose your temper…" Satsuki retorted.

"I already AM losing my temper." Kaji hissed. "Tell me where he is, NOW."

"…He went missing four years ago. No one knows for sure where he went. We didn't even have any idea that he had vanished until we intercepted some mail from SOLDIER members." Kazuki held out a cell phone to Kaji, a darkened expression on his face. "Don't want to believe us? Read it."

Kaji snatched the phone from him and then quickly went through the message feature on the phone. He paused when he came across a message board, courtesy of SOLDIER, from about three years ago.

_'First Class SOLDIER members go M.I.A: After an assigned mission in Nibelheim, two First Class members identified as Zack Fair and the hero Sephiroth along with two unidentified infantrymen have reportedly gone missing. Many have begun to assume that the members have fallen in battle.'_

"…There's no way… Zack would never… He would never die like that…" Kaji choked out. "He can't be dead, no way in hell!"

"We believe that as well." Satsuki began. "We've also acquired some other information, though we aren't completely certain of the location-"

"I have to find him!" Kaji exclaimed.

"We'll gladly help with that. He may be a liable addition to our team if we do find him." Satsuki began. "Though, thinking about it… it could prove to be more difficult than liable in the long run just to hunt him down."

"…What about Uncle Cloud?" Kaji suddenly piped up. "Cloud Strife, he's an infantryman in-"

"He might be with Zack." Kazuki cut off. "Cloud Strife, according to prior information we recovered on his files in SOLDIER, lived in Nibelheim before joining the group when he came of age, and took the assignment there as well. But the exact location is still beyond our knowledge."

"We think that they may still be in Nibelheim if they're alive…" Satsuki replied.

"…Then SOLDIER is responsible…" Kaji could feel his anger boiling over. He already had a deep hatred for Shinra… but this time it was more than personal. "…I'm in. Let me take care of this. I'LL follow through and find out exactly what happened back then. I'll go to Nibelheim."

"All alone?" Satsuki gasped.

"Yep." He grinned. "This is my dad we're talking about. And who knows. Maybe along the way, I can find Intel on Shinra and SOLDIER."

Kazuki held out a cell phone to him. "This is yours now. Use it wisely. Keep in touch if you find anything out there."

"You're actually supporting this? He's a lot younger, and maybe even less experienced than we are…"

"…You've never been attacked by him." Then Kazuki went off into another room.

Kaji looked to Satsuki again after some time and only then did he realize that he was still a couple of inches shorter than her. But he felt satisfied standing at a mere 5'3 at twelve years old, nearly thirteen.

She placed a hand on top of his head, smiling. "You've really started to grow up since the last time we saw each other. That's cute." He felt heat rise to his cheeks. "Are you sure that you wanna do this on your own? It's gonna be rough…"

"I… I don't want to put you in danger." Satsuki blinked a few times, almost stunned by his words. "A lot has changed since I was last here four years ago, right? So… I want to fight for your sake too. Is that okay?"

"Of course. Just promise me that you aren't going to wind up doing anything stupid or reckless or irresponsible-"

"Okay, okay! I got it, I got it! I do! I'll be really, really careful while I'm out there on my own, I promise!"

"Good." She leaned in, pressing her forehead up against his, hand still on top of his head. "I'll keep in touch."

He nodded in agreement, sheepishly grinning. "I've got it."

* * *

Kaji stepped out of the tiny house some time later and back into a place he knew quite well, if not as well as anyone who lived there—the slums. A smile curved onto his face as he took in the sights.

"…It mostly looks the same as it did back then…" He walked past the market and then towards the church. Looking up at that place again, he realized that either he had gotten bigger, or the church was smaller. Obviously, it was the latter. "I wonder if Aerith still comes here often…"

He glanced to his left when he heard shuffling. Almost instantly, he caught sight of a man with medium-length black hair pulled into a ponytail hiding behind a wooden crate. He was wearing a suit, which only reminded him of Cissnei. Then it hit him.

This guy was a Turk.

"Hey! Quit sneaking around!" The man sighed. "You're in league with Shinra, right?" Only then did the man look directly at Kaji, wide-eyed.

"Zack?"

"What? Uh, NO?"

"…Ah… So you have to be KAJI…"

"Upper K, lower a-j-i." His tone was dry, almost TOO serious. "But yeah, that's right; that would be me. You a Turk?"

"Tseng of the Turks."

"Do you know Cissnei, Reno and Rude?"

"I'm their commander."

"Oh… Well, um, one more question… why the hell are you trying to stalk Aerith, you sick punk?" Kaji had a straight face. Tseng just stared at him before rubbing his temples and sighing heavily.

"Should a child your age really be allowed to say things like that…?"

"When determination strikes and the child is off on a hunt, yes. Now, is Aerith inside of the church?"

"Yes."

"Good. Thank you, I'll be leaving." He went up the steps and entered the church. Almost instantly, he caught sight of her tending to the flowers as usual. She looked up in his direction, her eyes brimming with hope.

"…Kaji?" He gave her a goofy smile and she stood up, walking over to him. Before he knew it, she had taken him into her arms and hugged him.

"A-Aerith…" He could faintly catch the lilac scent on her dress and it nearly intoxicated him in the process. Then she released him.

"I'm so relieved that you're safe from harm… After Zack told me what happened to you, I just-"

"I'm sorry, I really am… But I'm back with a vengeance now. Don't worry."

"Is Zack with you too?" Kaji shook his head slowly in response. "…Oh… I-I'm so sorry, Kaji, I just assumed it…"

"I'm actually about to go and track him down for myself."

Then Kaji stopped himself. He couldn't bear to tell Aerith that Zack had gone missing in action four years ago—she'd likely get extremely worried to the point where she could have a nervous breakdown. He couldn't ever let that happen to her.

Nothing should ever happen that's bad, not to people like Aerith. Not to someone with the purest, most beautiful heart he had ever seen…

"That's good… You two should be together again. I'm sure he'd be amazed to see how much you've grown." Kaji walked over to the flowers.

"…Yeah. I guess so. He IS my dad after all."

Aerith giggled. "You call him that now?"

"Of course I do. He's earned that title… Without him there to guide me, I'd be a puppet without a soul." He gently ran his fingers along the petals of one of the flowers, a smile curving onto his face. "…Aerith…?"

"Yes?"

"I have a selfish request for you to answer…" He stood up. "…If Zack is my father, then can you be my mother?" Aerith was a bit stunned, and Kaji laughed when he noticed her blush. "I'm sorry, that was kinda silly, wasn't it?"

"A bit unexpected…" She reached out a hand, ruffling his hair a bit. "But I'm flattered nonetheless." He gave her a toothy grin. "Well, I really should be heading home now. I really hope you'll come back to the slums safely soon."

Kaji nodded. "I can call you when I do!" He handed her the cell phone. "I'll definitely come back! Zack will too!" She handed his phone back to him.

"Call anytime you want." She turned to leave.

"Oh, you're… being watched by-"

"Shinra forces? I know already…" She smiled a bit. "I've stopped caring because I know the reason why they do." Then she had gone. Kaji glanced up at the large hole in the ceiling. Immediately, a flood of memories came rushing into his mind.

He saw Zack fall through the church roof… and Aerith flinch and jump to her feet when he had hit the ground. Then she noticed his face and just stared at him.

_"Hel-loooo?" _

Kaji's eyes snapped open and he stumbled a bit, nearly on the flowers until he had caught himself. "Don't step on the flowers, just don't… That was so weird…" He took a seat on one of the benches and then laid back, staring up at the sky through the cracked ceiling. "…Those memories definitely weren't mine… How did I see Aerith and Zack's first time meeting…?" He slowly closed his eyes.

_"An angel?"_

_ "No, I'm Aerith!"_

Kaji opened his eyes again when he felt something tickle his nose. When he let out a sneeze, a black feather floated upward before him. He reached out and grabbed it, staring at it for some time. Then he glanced up at the ceiling and saw a man with long silver hair staring down at him. A smirk curved onto the man's face. Kaji sat up, glaring back up at the man.

He knew his face from somewhere… And that somewhere was Zack's bedroom wall back in Gongaga. He knew that this man was Sephiroth.

Then Kaji froze.

Hadn't Sephiroth gone missing alongside Zack? If Sephiroth was here, alive in front of him… Could Zack have been alive as well?

"What do you want?" Sephiroth tossed something down and Kaji caught up. He opened his hand again and grew bewildered instantly—it was Ifrit's summon-stone. Memories of four years ago came rushing back to him, and he dropped to his knees, yelling and screaming.

"A memento of your past." Then Sephiroth vanished into thin air. Kaji felt his body stagger before meeting the flowers, slipping into unconsciousness.

**Sephiroth… He's the face of evil… Even compared to the men in white…!**

* * *

"Kaji! Kaji, wake up!" Amber eyes slowly opened and he found Tseng staring down at him. Kaji jolted up.

"Why are you here?!"

"I heard you yell." Then Kaji froze, recollecting what all had occurred.

"…Thanks, but I'm fine, sturdy as a horse, gotta go, see ya, bye!" He dashed out of the church before Tseng could let out another word. It was dark outside now.

He was way behind schedule.

But now Sephiroth was a part of this ordeal.

* * *

Kaji came to the park not too far outside of the slums and found that it was empty… until he saw Sephiroth come floating down, glaring at the boy. Kaji felt a chill race down his spine as he stared up the First Class.

"So… you're Zack's clone."

"I'm his SON!" Kaji growled. At that moment, he could feel a prick at his neck. He gulped. Sephiroth's masamune was being pointed directly at his throat. He noticed droplets of blood fall to the ground, and could hear Sephiroth's laughter.

"Even my Mother wouldn't want to deem you a human boy."

"Your mother can suck it!" Kaji was extremely stunned by his own choice of vocabulary. Apparently he had picked up a lot of colorful language from the scientists._** {A/N: This was actually one of my personal thoughts as I began writing. 0.0 "Man... I turned Kaji into a delinquent that would even want to try and take down SEPHIROTH should need be." XD It was a crazy thought.}**_

Before Kaji could even so much as blink, the masamune had come flying at him. He ducked down as Sephiroth swung only to be punched in the face. He flew backwards into the swing set, blood splattering from his mouth when the impact had occurred. Once again, Sephiroth pointed the sword at him.

"Any last words before I take you down in one streak for insulting my mother?" Kaji tightly shut his eyes.

"…Yeah, I got a few choice words."

"Let's hear it."

"…You're an unfortunate individual with no one to love you and no one will ever lament you long after you're gone!" He spit some of the blood out on Sephiroth's shoes. "I hope someone pisses on your grave!"

"Wise words from such a brat," Then as Sephiroth struck, a gunshot rang out and struck the man's chest. Kaji froze as he disintegrated into nothingness.

"I'm not surprised." Kaji glanced back and saw Satsuki putting a gun away into her holster. Kazuki was next to her, recording the overall Intel of the event. "You didn't even get through the stage of braving the slums without running into trouble. Sorry, Kaji, but that's extremely pathetic."

"T-Then you tested me?"

"No. That was definitely a coincidence, by far." Kazuki began, continuing to write down the attack Sephiroth had brought upon Kaji. "On top of which, that was obviously a Sephiroth copy—an illusion brought on by someone else. The real Sephiroth has been presumed dead for years, and wasn't nearly a weak or prone to being provoked by anyone, especially you."

"He's… dead still…?" Kaji slowly closed his eyes.

He saw Zack fighting Sephiroth, only to be defeated minutes later and thrown out of the battlefield, sliding face-first down some stairs. The Buster Sword went flying out of his hands and stuck into the ground. Then he noticed Zack glance back about a minute later at an unmasked infantryman carrying the Buster Sword—Cloud.

_"SEPHIROTH!" _

Kaji's eyes flew open. "Uncle Cloud!"

"EASY." Kazuki hissed. "You'll hurt someone like that, brat!"

"S-Sorry… I had a flashback… but it wasn't from my memory… And in that memory, I-I saw Cloud…"

"Dead or alive?" Satsuki asked.

"…I don't know."

"Then go find out." Kazuki stated.

"What?" Satsuki exclaimed.

"…Really? After all that happened, you're still going to let me go off alone?"

"Your only issue is that you have to know how to pick your battles more carefully. You have potential to be stronger, but you're still nothing but a rookie. This could be good experience for you in the long run. Think of this as something out of those spy movies." Kazuki began.

"…What happens in those?"

"Just be as stealthy and as confident as you can possibly be."

"Doesn't sound hard."

* * *

"Here. Take some items just in case. You can always run into battles out there, so you have to be well prepared." Kaji looked to the backpack Satsuki had provided for him, chuckling. "Come back to us safely."

"I already told you I will." Then Satsuki went off, leaving Kaji alone with Kazuki.

"…Don't think for an instance that I trust your kind." Kazuki growled suddenly, catching the younger off guard. "Even if I am no longer a part of Wutai's organization, I will never trust anyone with any type of tie to Shinra. They caused my father's death."

"Ah, so you DIDN'T change after all of these years!" Then Kaji turned away. "You may have left Wutai like you said, but you can't deny that your heart isn't with them… You still would want to protect your home. Just like… Yuffie does..." Almost instantly, a shuriken poked his back.

"…Don't utter my princess's name so casually."

"Your 'princess', huh? She's nothing but a thief and a crybaby from what I can remember about her. I don't even think she's considered anything like a princess."

"Shut up!"

"I can understand. You care about her. She's your friend too."

Kazuki bit his bottom lip. "…Just know… you're lucky."

"Hm? Lucky?"

"If not for Satsuki wanting things to change, neither of us would be here right now… So I have to put up with scum like you for her sake…" Then he walked away.

"…Satsuki is the base to all of our chances of change…"

Then Kaji made his way up to the core's outer plate: Midgar.

* * *

**So now Kaji will now be heading up to Midgar for the next chapter...**

**Though I have no idea when it'll be coming up. 0_0**

**Read and review, please.**


	2. Memories of Midgar

**After a month of struggling with college and other issues, I bring you the ridiculously short chapter 1 of Destructive Paths.**

**Still not fully off of hiatus though, as I still must go through this semester of college. And hopefully when I get around to it, I'll have a longer chapter the next time around.**

**I actually had to rewrite this chapter from scratch, which is why it's so short, since I left the binder with the original work for it in storage, so it might not be as good since I added and altered a lot of what I had in mind for the original.**

**:3 I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

_**Chapter 1:**_

~Midgar~

Kaji stepped off of the train and out into the late night streets of the source of his biological guinea pig experiences' commence: Midgar. From the sight, the town appeared to be almost pleasant—safe. But when you looked past the town and saw Shinra Corporation, you could see all of the mayhem, destruction and sorrow that flowed like a stream. You saw casualties hanging over each warrior's head, and blood on their hands.

Zack was no exception.

He decided to check LOVELESS Avenue first before heading anywhere near Shinra. He saw the ice cream shop in the distance and Dr. Kurosu's office to his right. He went right, past the office and around the corner. Just as he had stopped walking, a man with brown hair and a red cloak jumped down in front of him, causing Kaji to yelp.

"Dude, what the hell's your problem?!" When the man suddenly let out low, congested growls, Kaji looked a bit closer.

The man looked human, but his right hand had been replaced by a chainsaw. His eyes were raging—he was out to kill. The man charged forward, and Kaji dodged, briefly examining his opponent for any signs of weaknesses. The man suddenly threw his chainsaw, striking Kaji's shoulder. He let out a breath as he landed, clutching his now bleeding shoulder. "…He's faster than Zack…" Kaji ducked down as the man swung again, grabbing his chainsaw-hooked arm and charging fire into his left hand. The man was quickly engulfed in flames, leaving behind a bangle of some sort and some Gil.

He picked up the rewards, staring at the bangle. It was black with a single crimson gem in the middle. The mere aura of the dark energy it emitted made him cringe. But he couldn't just leave it out in the open. He recalled there being an accessory shop not too far from the ice cream shop, darting past the doctor's office.

Just as he had, a woman with short red hair stepped out, and he nearly ran into her.

"Sorry!" He exclaimed.

"Zack?" She breathed.

"Kaji, I-I'm not really tall like him just yet…" He mumbled, now jogging in place. "Melena, right?"

"Yes… What happened to your arm?"

"Uh, got in a fight, no worries, I'm not in any pain or any-"

"Let me bandage it for you, please."

"I'm kind of in a rush right now, I really don't think it's that big of a-!" Then Kaji noticed her expression sadden. "…Fine."

"Step inside." Kaji sighed, doing so. He hated how he couldn't resist a woman...

* * *

"I thought your mother was the head physician—OW!"

"My apologies, the alcohol stings a bit, but it really does work wonders on injuries." Kaji pouted. "My mother passed away last year. A sense of irony, it is, a doctor dying of illness."

"…Oh… I'm sorry…"

"It's all right. Don't be sorry, nothing serious. So, how's your father doing?"

"…I don't know. We were separated four years ago." Melena wrapped his shoulder in bandages and gauze as he continued. "I'm off looking for him now."

"I'm sure that he's still out there somewhere alive, if nothing else. He's a very strong, handsome man-"

"Who has a girlfriend waiting for him to come back home and be with her, which he WILL do as soon as I find him…"

"…You're all set."

"How much do I owe you?"

"It's on the house for an old friend."

"Thank you, Melena. I appreciate it."

"Come back anytime."

"Will do." Kaji set the money he received from his battle on the counter and then walked off. Melena sighed, a smile on her face.

"Just as stubborn as his dad…"

* * *

Kaji entered Wayne's Accessory Shop minutes after leaving Kurosu's office. _**{A/N: Wayne's Accessory Shop is a Kingdom Hearts 2 reference. It's actually a similar name of the shop in Twilight Town that sells accessories. I just swapped Wayne's ARMOR Shop and Jessie's Accessory Shop and made it into Wayne's Accessory Shop.}**_

"Ah, a cus-Oh, it's just some kid…"

"How much can I get for this?" Kaji held out the bangle to him.

"Ooh, a Dark Acrisus. Those are pretty hard to come across in this time of war… sure you want to part ways with it?"

"…Describe it for me."

"It boosts all stats for magic and accesses dark abilities and spells."

"…The darkness doesn't suit me." Kaji mumbled. "Got anything that'll boost fire spells, and ONLY fire spells?"

"I have a Fire Acrisus; you can attach it to your pants like a chain or wear it like a pendant. You get that, you'll have a balance of 2300 Gil paid back to you."

"I'll take it." Then Kaji tugged on his hair a bit. It was around the same length as Zack's was, sure, but it was a lot more straight than spiky—something that made him different from him. "…Hm…"

"I'll throw in something to tie your hair back for 100 Gil."

"Sold," Kaji mumbled. "And nothing girly."

"No worries." The man went to the back. "Got just the color for you~"

Kaji eyed a black hooded jacket on markdown—it resembled Zack's uniform shirt, but at a lower quality.

"…That too." Kaji suddenly added on once the man had returned, tugging on his two-sizes-too-small shirt.

"That'd be the end of your Gil, kid."

"Good. Then fighting and getting cut was worth it." He grabbed the jacket, then took the ponytail holder, staring at it. "Red?"

"Goes great with the Acrisus, right? And you said that you're a fire magic kind of guy. Red is definitely your choice color." Kaji grinned. "So, what's all this for anyways? I doubt you're old enough to try and enlist in joining SOLDIER…"

"Well, Wayne… I've got my own score to settle with Shinra… but first, I have to find my dad. To put it bluntly, I'm starting my own adventure."

"Must be nice to have that kind of spirit. Those were good times." Kaji pulled his hair up and then tied it back to the point where it almost spiked outward.

"Well, fun for me."

"…You know, with your hair all spiked like that, you look a lot like this First Class guy I know…" Kaji blinked a few times. "Weird…"

"Thanks anyways." Kaji set the bangle on the counter and then turned to leave, jacket slung over his shoulder.

"Hey, kid!"

"Yeah?"

"Three things!"

"I'm listening."

"One… good luck out there all on your own, you're really gonna need it. But you got potential. Two… never did catch your name."

"Name's Kaji."

"Three… do you know Zack Fair?" Kaji glanced back at him in the corner of his right eye, and Wayne could have sworn he had seen that confident gaze once before.

"…Yeah. But I'll let you figure out the rest from there." Then Kaji exited the accessory shop.

"…So that guy is Zack's blood…" Wayne let out a hearty laugh. "No wonder! He's got the aura and all! Hey, kid, you better come back alive and tell me all about it!"

* * *

The moment Kaji had gotten outside again he ripped off his once favorite black shirt with one tug and then slowly let it hit the ground. He left it in front of the shop, putting the jacket on over his bare upper body.

* * *

Within minutes, he stood before Shinra Corporation. Out of the blue, his phone began ringing. A fanfare type of ringtone echoed around him, and he sighed.

"Ugh… Who the hell chose that ringtone…? So annoying…" He stared at the phone before answering it. "Yeah?"

"How's the air out there?" It was Kazuki.

"…Compared to being confined to the Mako pod, being out here is a breath of freshness. Very clean. But all of these creatures keep popping up everywhere…"

"Tch. Genesis copies."

"Genesis copies?"

"A former SOLDIER member named Genesis Rhapsodos is the cause. He is a G-type SOLDIER warrior."

"G-type? Not sure I understand what the heck that means…"

"G-cells were transplanted into him, and the monsters were created from him, given that he was the donor."

Kaji thought back to the man who had attacked him shortly after his arrival, touching his now bandaged shoulder. "…Hey, Kazuki… Can the DNA be passed on to someone else if you're attacked by one of those Genesis copies?"

"No. Not to my knowledge." Kaji felt relieved. "Where are you now?"

"In front of Shinra, why do you ask?"

"You should duck in about four seconds."

"Huh?" Kaji ducked down and noticed just as a large shuriken went flying past his head, flipping over due to his back-bend ability, landing back on his feet again. Apparently his reflexes had gotten better. "What the hell was THAT?!"

"Well, well, look who I found!" Kaji recognized the high-pitched voice. When he turned, there stood a girl. She had short black hair and wore a white headband.

"…Yuffie?" She was definitely a lot older compared to the last time they had met, if you caught his drift. She had to have been at least fifteen, like Kazuki. Though her hair was the same length, her style had changed up. She was decked out in a green, sleeveless turtleneck jumper that bore her stomach and a pair of tan shorts that were partially unzipped with no belt. _**{A/N: This would be her Final Fantasy VII outfit, as Yuffie is fifteen at the end of Crisis Core. She was eleven when she first met Kaji back in More Than A Hero.}**_

"I remember you, spawn of Ugly Shinra Dude!"

Kaji sweat-dropped at this, crossing his arms, "You can't just call me by my name like everyone else does…?"

"Move aside!"

"Why should I?"

"Shinra's got treasure in there and it's gonna be mine!"

"Still making a living as an unsuccessful thief, I see."

"DON'T INSULT HER!" Kazuki roared. Kaji closed his phone. Immediately, Yuffie snatched it away from him.

"H-Hey!"

"Whoa, it's one of those Shinra cell phones!" As Kaji tried to swipe it back, Yuffie held him back, and he flailed angrily. "How'd a brat like you get your hands on something like this?"

"I'm not telling you, so give it back!" Yuffie moved aside and let him hit the ground.

"You want your phone back, come and get it from me!" She leapt up onto the Shinra building, laughing.

"YUFFIE!" He pushed himself up one of the walls, grabbing onto each ledge as je climbed further up the ridiculously tall building. Yuffie was already up at the top, messing with the cell phone. After several minutes, he reached her, trying to grab the phone. She held it up higher, just out of his reach—he was really looking forward to a growth spurt! "Give it back! This isn't funny!" Then it rang, and once again Kaji was forced down, Yuffie now sitting on top of him like a chair.

"Hello, Kaji's line!"

"…Who the hell is this?"

"Ooh, Kaji, there's a girl on the phone for you~" Kaji froze.

Satsuki.

"L-Let me go and give me back my phone!"

"Where's Kaji?" Satsuki's tone was dry and emotionless.

"I'm currently treating him like my footstool, and he's my prisoner."

"YUFFIE!"

"It's fun~"

"Yuffie…" The voice belonged not to Satsuki, but to Kazuki. "Let Kaji up. He has a very important job to do for us."

Yuffie sighed. "…You've always been such a killjoy, Kazu…" She got off of Kaji, and Kaji sighed of relief. "How've you been anyways? I hear you're dating some girl in that squadrant of yours. Was that her?"

"W-What? N-No, it's nothing like that at all…"

"Then maybe it's really Kaji you-"

"What?!" Kaji exclaimed.

"NO! NO WAY! DON'T EVEN KID AROUND ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT!" Kazuki roared.

"GROSS! I-I like women, lots and lots of-Okay, not a LOT of women, but-"_** {A/N: Well, you ARE still Zack's blood, Kaji, it wouldn't be surprising if you liked a lot of women...}**_

"Oh, whatever, you guys are all the-" Then a shot was fired. Both of the teenagers stood frozen until Yuffie noticed blood seeping out of her stomach. She slowly looked up at Kaji before her eyes went blank and she fell backwards, off of the building.

"YUFFIE!" Kaji got a running start before leaping off of the building after her. He stretched out a hand as he was falling, finally managing to grab her by the arm. "Gotcha!" He pulled her close, flipping over a bit. He would rather take the full damage of the impact from the fall then have her be put in any more pain.

Just as he glanced down at his attacker, another shot was fired at him. His summonstone from the Sephiroth clone fell from his pocket and shattered into multiple shards as the bullet pierced it. Flames sprouted from the shards, engulfing both him and Yuffie, almost shielding them.

Time slowed…

_I call upon thee…_

_Ifrit of flame._

"**Of course, my liege."**

Kaji reached out, taking one of the shards in his hand before looking down at Yuffie. "…We'll be safe…"

* * *

**And that's the end of that. Apparently that wasn't the end of Ifrit.** **Where will Kaji and Yuffie end up?**

**And maybe Kaji and Kazuki can come to terms?**

**Ye not guilty. **

**^^ If anyone can catch that reference, you get a cookie. :D**

**READ AND REVIEW!**


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